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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: spring · plane · last · foot · bat · cap · bore · press

  1. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. The ________________ took off on time.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. bore — to tire
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. spring — the season
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. spring — a coil
  7. spring — of water
  8. last — finally
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. bore — to drill
  11. press — a publisher
  12. last — final
  13. cap — of ice
  14. bat — the animal
  15. plane — a tool
  16. press — newspapers
  17. cap — a hat
  18. press — to push
  19. foot — a measure
  20. last — to go on
  21. plane — in geometry
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. cap — a lid
  24. plane — an aircraft

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com